How different is it being an anesthesiologist vs. an nurse anesthetist?

If you want to have a lot of contact with patients and their families, anesthesiology/nurse anesthetist is not the field to go into. My husband is an anesthesiologist and loves his job. Believe it or not, for him, part of the appeal of this profession was the fact that he would have little contact with patients. He loves the intellectual challenge and his work schedule. Both can work as much or as little as they want--it depends on the contract that you settle on. CRNAs (nurse anesthetists) work under the supervision of an anesthesiologist, have less schooling, and make less money.